Home of The Academy of Magical Arts for more than 50 years, the Magic Castle in Hollywood is widely considered one of the most difficult places to get into. Here are some of the other best places to find live magic in Los Angeles.

To call San Pedro overlooked is putting it mildly. Many recent transplants to Los Angeles don’t even know what to call it all (it’s pronounced 'Pee-dro’), let alone how to get there. That’s unfortunate, because this town is an unmined gem, gleaming humbly along the Pacific. The busiest port in the U.S. - by a significant margin - has seen its fair share of sailors and midshipmen for nearly a century now. That they have a hallowed history with hooch should surprise no one. Here you’ll find some of the city’s oldest dive bars, countless waterfront watering holes, multiple breweries, and a faithfully-recreated English-style pub. They even have a respectable wine bar.

When LA Fleet Week sets sail in September, San Pedro assumes center stage, welcoming sightseers from across the globe. But it’s also the perfect time for locals to check out what they’re missing, right in their own backyard. Drink your way through San Pedro at these outposts, representing the wide berth of options available in L.A.’s bustling port city.

When David Cooley decided to open The Abbey in 1991, the bar scene in West Hollywood looked much different than it does now. Cooley, an Ohioan by way of Las Vegas, moved to the city in 1981, at the start of the AIDS crisis. "When I was coming to bars on Santa Monica Boulevard, it was not as open," he says. "There were no front patios where you could have a cigarette. It was all behind closed doors and through back alleys."

With L.A.'s beautiful year-round weather, there’s always an occasion to grab a drink outside. Savor the sunshine and warm nights at these Los Angeles bars that feature indoor and outdoor spaces, patios and rooftops.

Two of L.A.'s top hotels are conveniently located across the street from the Wilshire/Normandie station. The 388-room Line Hotel opened in January 2014 at the site of the former Wilshire Hotel. The Line combines its Mid-Century Modern heritage with an industrial-chic twist. Following a $5-million restoration, the Hotel Normandie's 91 rooms have been restored to their original Roaring 20s flair, with new, vintage-inspired furnishings, fixtures and tile work of the era.